KISSIMMEE, Fla., September 26, 2017 – Kissimmee Utility Authority crews have returned home to Kissimmee, concluding 11 days of power restoration work in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.
At the height of Irma’s destruction, 38,000 – or 53 percent – of KUA’s 72,000 customers lost power. KUA line crews, tree trimmers and support personnel moved quickly to rebuild and restore service to customers, with the assistance of mutual aid crews from Indiana, Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin. Overall, the storm knocked out power to 6.5 million homes and businesses statewide.
KUA restored power to its customers within 75 hours of the storm, and then moved its crews north where they spent three days assisting Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC). From there, the crews traveled west to Polk County where they spent four days helping to restore power to customers of Lakeland Electric, completing 11 days of restoration efforts.
“Crews from utilities across the country supported us, and we were glad to immediately return the favor,” said KUA president and general manager Jim Welsh. “Providing support to other utilities throughout the state and across the nation during natural disasters is one of the hallmarks of the electric utility industry.”
Hurricane Irma was the first major hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma in 2005.
Founded in 1901, KUA (https://kua.com) is Florida’s sixth largest community-owned utility, powering 72,000 customers in Osceola County, Florida.
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